The year is 1959 and missionary Nathan Price, his wife and four daughters journey from Bethlehem, Georgia to the Congo to bring Christianity to the inhabitants. Using the point of view of the wife and daughters, Kingsolver does a superb job of showing the trials and hardships this family encounter during their adventure. Their stories make one question if it is the villagers or the Price women who are `born again.` Through the use of a variety of literary devices and vivid descriptions the reader experiences daily life in the tiny village of Kilanga, Congo. In addition, this novel effectively incorporates the thirty years of political strife that plagues this nation.